CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) Announces $0.44 Quarterly Dividend

CNA Financial Co. (NYSE:CNA) declared a quarterly dividend on Monday, November 4th, RTT News reports. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a dividend of 0.44 per share by the insurance provider on Thursday, December 5th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.71%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th.

CNA Financial has increased its dividend payment by an average of 4.3% annually over the last three years. CNA Financial has a dividend payout ratio of 33.7% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect CNA Financial to earn $4.86 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.76 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 36.2%.

CNA Financial Trading Up 1.4 %

NYSE:CNA opened at $47.48 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $12.86 billion, a PE ratio of 10.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $49.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $47.32. CNA Financial has a 12 month low of $38.32 and a 12 month high of $52.36.

CNA Financial (NYSE:CNA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The insurance provider reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.07 by $0.01. CNA Financial had a return on equity of 14.02% and a net margin of 9.27%. The company had revenue of $3.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.15 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.06 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that CNA Financial will post 4.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Mark Steven James sold 18,547 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.58, for a total value of $938,107.26. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,159,141.86. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other CNA Financial news, EVP Elizabeth Ann Aguinaga sold 26,160 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.60, for a total value of $1,297,536.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 47,744 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,368,102.40. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Mark Steven James sold 18,547 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.58, for a total value of $938,107.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 22,917 shares in the company, valued at $1,159,141.86. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of CNA Financial from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of CNA Financial from $48.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of CNA Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday.

CNA Financial Company Profile

CNA Financial Corporation provides commercial property and casualty insurance products in the United States and internationally. It operates through Specialty, Commercial, International, Life & Group, and Corporate & Other segments. The company offers professional liability coverages and risk management services to various professional firms, including architects, real estate agents, and accounting and law firms; directors and officers, employment practices, fiduciary, and fidelity and cyber coverages to small and mid-size firms, public and privately held firms, and not-for-profit organizations; professional and general liability, as well as associated casualty coverages for healthcare industry; surety and fidelity bonds; and warranty and alternative risks products.